Forces loyal to Islam Karimov, the autocratic Uzbek president, last month shot and killed more than 200 civilian demonstrators in the Uzbek city of Andizhan. The killings have been condemned by human-rights groups and Western governments, including Britain’s.

Yet despite that condemnation, and the Uzbek regime’s refusal to allow an inquiry into the killings, the UK government appears to be stepping up development work in the region.